After a while of cutting down on the amount of spam on these forums by using some quite strict settings, I've decided to open things up again.

You will now be able to start new threads after two posts; for example you could post in response to this thread, and once in another, then you are fully able to post anywhere you like.

The reason that there is are any restrictions at all is that there are a huge amount of spammers that try to access these forums on a daily basis, and without any controls at all then we would be flooded with adverts for sites featuring photographs of unnatural acts with animals and tablets that would probably allow you to perform such acts if you so desired. Given that I intend for this place to be early-teens upwards, I don't think this kind of thing is suitable (then again, it's not really suitable anywhere... But you get my drift). The point is, spammers tend to only post once or twice in any forum then go away, therefore if I can block those early spams then hopefully I can prevent that kind of rubbish turning up on here.

As before, there are forums in which you can post new threads immediately, such as 'personnal concerns', mainly because I feel that if a person needs help then there shouldn't be any restrictions on that, but the most popular forums now need for you to have joined in elsewhere a little bit first.

Hi all. I am new to the site, and looking forward to meeting people and joining in the forums. I am wondering if someone could help me understand how things work around here. I don't know why I keep getting messages that I can't post...something about the forum being locked? Thanx.

Says on your post count that you have 2 posts under your belt already, so you should be able to post where you like....not that I'm saying you should spam....but if you wanted to post a new thread...you could! How exciting's that?!

o.ki havent been around here in ages, so this seems as good a place as any to post, at least until i get my bearings again anyway.

i should really have said something more, shouldnt I? um, well, i have not been here in over two years so most of you wont know me, and those who did know me probably wont rmember me! i might be on here a bit from here on in so...be afraid.....

oops! I disappeared again! Had to sort out some some computer hardware issues.

well, the reason I I havent been around for so long is because I got a temp job working in hospital labs as a medical lab assistant (yay! ). For those who dont know: the wages in this job suck, so I couldnt afford a computer. Anyway, about eight months into the job I got accepted for the same job in anouther hospital: this was also temp. But after a month or so in this job I got offered a perminant possition in ANOUTHER hospital! madness! also durring this period alot of my freinds moved away; one to america and two to australia. This has prompted me to rethink what I want to do with the next few years of my life. Should I go back into education or should I try moving to anouther country for awhile? (I wouldnt be able to do both. I dont have the energy/motivation ). Ah well. Im sure an answer will fall into my lap eventually.

Hey all, I know I'm not exactly a newbie but given that I've not used the forums regularly for about three years I figured this was the best place to say "hi" again. Please treat me kindly I haven't had any decent internet access at ALL these last two years (the computers at local college and library have very strict filters and block a lot of forums) and between busting my laptop and battling the insurance company to get a new one - they finally sent me one two months ago but it was the wrong one and I nearly went crazy at the thought of another 20 months without a computer - I am somewhat tentatively back, anyone out there remember me? Feel free to pretend you do to spare my feelings

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Little solace comes to those who grieveWhen thoughts keep driftingAs walls keep shiftingAnd this great blue world of oursSeems a houseof leaves

It's all good yeah - I ended up leaving uni after taking a gap year to sort my head out but I've just finished a one-year course in community work and been volunteering with a mental health advocacy group and a local support group/drop-in facility (mental health also) though in terms of paid work I'm currently working in Sainsbury's on the meat counter

Everything's pretty good right now though and my boyfriend (the one who I'd only known a few months when I last posted) and I are hoping to buy a house together in a few months. Not to mention the joys of the net! I've barely left the house except to work for the last four days - in fact I've barely left my armchair!

I'm so glad someone remembers me! I thought I'd be met by a bunch of people I didn't know all staring blankly and wondering who the heck I was but I recognise quite a few of the old names on the reent threads - yay! Anyways, how've you been yourself?

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Little solace comes to those who grieveWhen thoughts keep driftingAs walls keep shiftingAnd this great blue world of oursSeems a houseof leaves

Hey it's good to see you too it's nice to be back I missed this place more than I realised I think.

... erm anyone fancy reminding me how to change my av? I just realised it's ridiculously out-of-date but other than it had something to do with photobucket I can't remember how I even managed to change it in the first place Sorry if I'm being dense.

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Little solace comes to those who grieveWhen thoughts keep driftingAs walls keep shiftingAnd this great blue world of oursSeems a houseof leaves

When I registered it was slightly a LOT more than two posts, so I had to find creative ways to get my questions done, concerning the animations. Such as finding similar threads or semi-similar threads so I could post it without looking as a complete dork.

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Pupil:Selina

After my last tangle with the no-meat bunch I decided that never again would an innocent animal die for my supper. Since then I've eaten only vegetarians.

Porce: at the top of the page there is a 'My Controls' link which leads you to a page with 'Edit avatar settings' on it.

Selina: Sorry about the problems with posting new stuff. I get several new spammers per-day registering on these forums and by filtering their first couple of attempts at starting threads I usually can prevent them from bothering the forum members. Thanks for the compliment. Personally I think life is more interesting if you don't take it all so literally, so being slightly odd is a survival trait.

Rad: Yep, it was previously I lot higher. I think it was 50 posts for a while. The forums have become a lot more quiet since I've not had time to update the animations, so dropping the limit has been okay. It was definitely needed for a while - there was way too much spam to patrol and I'd rather lose some people to irritation than lose everyone in a flood of spam!

Porce: at the top of the page there is a 'My Controls' link which leads you to a page with 'Edit avatar settings' on it.

Selina: Sorry about the problems with posting new stuff. I get several new spammers per-day registering on these forums and by filtering their first couple of attempts at starting threads I usually can prevent them from bothering the forum members. Thanks for the compliment. Personally I think life is more interesting if you don't take it all so literally, so being slightly odd is a survival trait.

Rad: Yep, it was previously I lot higher. I think it was 50 posts for a while. The forums have become a lot more quiet since I've not had time to update the animations, so dropping the limit has been okay. It was definitely needed for a while - there was way too much spam to patrol and I'd rather lose some people to irritation than lose everyone in a flood of spam!

I am an admin at another forum, and I know what you mean. Ours, since it is way smaller, we control by manually approving people who register before they can even view the forum.

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Pupil:Selina

After my last tangle with the no-meat bunch I decided that never again would an innocent animal die for my supper. Since then I've eaten only vegetarians.

At one point I was getting around ten spammers registering compared to real people, and that was just daft! I had a forum on http://www.stickscene.com , but it got bombarded with spam as soon as the BBC linked to the site so I had to shut it down. Spam is such an enormous irritation to people who run websites. I can see why it exists, but I can't help wonder if the people who look after the infrastructure of the web are really doing everything possible to stop it.

At one point I was getting around ten spammers registering compared to real people, and that was just daft! I had a forum on http://www.stickscene.com , but it got bombarded with spam as soon as the BBC linked to the site so I had to shut it down. Spam is such an enormous irritation to people who run websites. I can see why it exists, but I can't help wonder if the people who look after the infrastructure of the web are really doing everything possible to stop it.

Spam in the internet is analogue to children working at factories in the industrial revolution.

It is a crude, simple, easy and cheap way to get a job done, be it manufacture or advertising.

Similar to child labor, it is also abhorrent, and similarly, I hope, it will be eradicated once people start to be more familiar with the net and computers per se.

If everyone knew how to fight spam, block and ignore bogus "warnings", it would have no place at all to exist.

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Pupil:Selina

After my last tangle with the no-meat bunch I decided that never again would an innocent animal die for my supper. Since then I've eaten only vegetarians.

I dont know much about how you guys get to manage these forums but is there no software or some add-on or plugin that acts like a firewall for forums? I understand why mata has make that posting rule, and why you[radaga] have to approve all new members in yours, but i think the posting rule works better unless you have the time to go through all the membership registries. i dont know if those spammers can go around the posting rule, but i haven't seen a spam post yet since i joined.

I dont know much about how you guys get to manage these forums but is there no software or some add-on or plugin that acts like a firewall for forums? I understand why mata has make that posting rule, and why you[radaga] have to approve all new members in yours, but i think the posting rule works better unless you have the time to go through all the membership registries. i dont know if those spammers can go around the posting rule, but i haven't seen a spam post yet since i joined.

Oh, but in my case it´s a little deeper than spam. The problem is we all know each other, and we share private info, phones, addresses and weekly meeting places, and we do feel more comfortable if no one can see it.

Close. Portuguese, actually. I am a matazonian pioneer, trodding paths never ventured before in the name of LGG, guided by Lapin´s ideals, sponsored by SnaffleBruger´s Company and with the company of a psycho kitty here in Brazil.

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Pupil:Selina

After my last tangle with the no-meat bunch I decided that never again would an innocent animal die for my supper. Since then I've eaten only vegetarians.

I dont know much about how you guys get to manage these forums but is there no software or some add-on or plugin that acts like a firewall for forums?

Sadly no. It got to the point where I was deleting dozens of accounts every day, trying to filter real ones from the fakes, but this posting rule has eliminated nearly all spam. It's not ideal, but most spammers only try to post once, so it does the job and keeps some quite horrible links from getting on here (one memorable spam before I got severe about this was links to sites involving people and animals in unusual circumstances).

I dont know much about how you guys get to manage these forums but is there no software or some add-on or plugin that acts like a firewall for forums?

Sadly no. It got to the point where I was deleting dozens of accounts every day, trying to filter real ones from the fakes, but this posting rule has eliminated nearly all spam. It's not ideal, but most spammers only try to post once, so it does the job and keeps some quite horrible links from getting on here (one memorable spam before I got severe about this was links to sites involving people and animals in unusual circumstances).

Hello from Bristol, UK

¦ dialling in from workstation ¦

Hello everyone, I hope this finds you well. I found this place whilst browsing, a nice discovery.

I'm 37, a writer/photographer and a project manager (blech!) based in Bristol, working in Bath, and looking forward to driving home tonight through open countryside, rolling Sommerset hills shrouded in fog, and settling down in front of a roaring log fire (if girlfriend can get it to light this time).